The War on Drugs Was Born 100 Years Ago

The last 100 years has been a progressive experiment, its failed and we are about to see it crash.

The progressive movement brought us prohibition, the Federal reserve, federal income taxes, the war on drugs and its lead to private prisons, highest incarceration rates in the world, run away printing of money and our economy has walked the plank.

The last hundred years has been about building a federal system of government and destroying the republic. One of the first pieces of federal legislation in the war on drugs as the OP states was the marijuana taxation act. The federal government passed an act to regulate morality through the power of taxation, then using that as the thin edge of the wedge morphed their regulatory power into the power to prohibit. The federal government has very very limited power to legislate criminal law. But its "legitimacy" was rubber stamped by progressive courts, and excused with progressive hand wringing that it was "of course necessary and that the federal government has to be able to do this." Its a progressive excuse that's been used for over 100 years, from then to this day with Obama. You hear progressive dems and GOP rinos/neo cons saying things Of course we need amnesty. of course we need to displace the Syrian regime, of course we need to bail out the banks, of course we need stazi style spying on our citizens so that we can search the records and find some dirt on them and prosecute them if they become a problem... Its goes on and on and on and why should it be no surprise, progressives have been immunizing them selves from the rule of law for the last hundred years to the point where they blatantly and openly flout their contempt for it to the point where they are on the verge of calling recitation of the constitution "anti-progressive hate speech and a terroristic threat." Just look at the latest amnesty fight, in the past 100 years the legislative authority of the states has been diminished and now progressives in both parties are engaged in diminishing the legislative authority of congress, in effect empowering and emboldening the president with the unconstitutional authority to ignore or display any congressional act at anytime. It would seem that the progressives want a strong executive branch so that they can use the position to push their agenda, even as the public votes to try to undo the damage.

You say, let's change course on the war on drugs? I say they never had the constitutional authority to wage that war in the first place.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Good job man...

originally posted by: dieseldyk
The last 100 years has been a progressive experiment, its failed and we are about to see it crash.

The progressive movement brought us prohibition, the Federal reserve, federal income taxes, the war on drugs and its lead to private prisons, highest incarceration rates in the world, run away printing of money and our economy has walked the plank.

It also brought us the Civil Rights Movement, Gay equality, and social safety nets. It can't all be bad.

You say, let's change course on the war on drugs? I say they never had the constitutional authority to wage that war in the first place.

I agree. Notice how it took a Constitutional Amendment to enact Prohibition while with drugs they weaseled their way into authority on drugs through taxes. Very deceptive.

I hate the idea of massive prohibition. The whole "war on drugs" was really just a "war on degeneracy". I don't do any drugs, but I certainly don't care if other people do. Unless of course they're close to me emotionally and the drugs are destroying their lives. Then I might intervene. But that's the key point. Myself, my family, my friends, etc would intervene, NOT the government.

The trouble comes because if you legalize all drugs, it deals a heavy, heavy blow to the pharmaceutical industry. The claws are in too deep. The best we can hope for is a gradual easing of criminalizing these drugs. Shorter jail terms, lower fines, eventually no charges at all. Then and only then can we hope for sweeping legalization.

Great history lesson. Unfortunately too many people make money from prohibition - the gangs, the pharmaceutical companies, the private prison industry and their investors.

As much sense as it makes to end the war on drugs it won't happen because too many powerful people make too much money from the misery of others. Simple pain relief is nearly impossible to get even after going through doctors and specialists. A friend of mine just had his second neck fusion operation and they gave him 2 weeks worth of meds after surgery and that was it even though he was in severe pain and still is months later. He is a shell of his former self due to the effects of the pain and now drinks himself blind in an attempt to stop it. He is yet one more victim of the war on drugs even though he's not a recreational drug user.

Yes, it is a war on drugs, but every war is ultimately fought against the people.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

Yes the vested monetary interests trying to keep drugs illegal are great and hard to overcome, but it can be done. Look at all the headway marijuana is getting off of just spreading truth alone. Much of the anti-legalization rhetoric has been reduced to "let's take it slow and see how things go". They can't even argue effectively at keeping it illegal, only to take it slow. That shows you how crippled their arguments have become.

Marijuana is just one step though. The entire war on drugs needs to be ended. It is all a HUGE injustice on the people.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

Exactly. If people would just learn to just stay in their firing lane and not worry about what everyone else is doing, society would be a MUCH more pleasant place to live. Yet everyone feels it is THEIR responsibility to mind everyone else's business.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

One surefire to way to know if your law is effective or not is too look at it's consequences.

Does the law create more problems than it solves? If so, it might be time to re-evaluate that law.

The drug laws in the U.S. have done nothing except PROMOTE drug use as a means of "sticking it to the man", glorifying it in the certain cultures, strain police departments, overcrowd prisons with non-violent offenders, cost billions of dollars, create or expand the cartels that operate in other countries, and a whole host of other issues.

What has it solved, exactly? Well... I really can't tell you. People aren't living longer because of drug laws, streets aren't any more peaceful.. so, really, I can't say there has been one tangible benefit.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

You and me both. I can't figure out why the American public defends these laws so vehemently. Sure, you can suggest marijuana legalization and generally people will be on board, but most people are ADAMANT about not legalizing any other drugs. Even though it is quite obvious that those other drugs are plagued by the same inaccuracies and propaganda that plagues marijuana.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: ScientificRailgun

You and me both. I can't figure out why the American public defends these laws so vehemently. Sure, you can suggest marijuana legalization and generally people will be on board, but most people are ADAMANT about not legalizing any other drugs. Even though it is quite obvious that those other drugs are plagued by the same inaccuracies and propaganda that plagues marijuana.

First, let me say excellent thread. Your approach and evidence are great. I see a future where cannabis will most likely be either legalized or decriminalized, fast approaching. I also see the government, especially the DEA, foreseeing this as well. In October of this year, Hydrocodone and other type drugs were rescheduled as a Schedule II substance. This being the most highly prescribed pain medicine, my opinion is DEA is planning ahead by increasing and prohibiting use of this substance to take the place of all the attention marijuana has generated over the years.

This drug can be addictive, and is very lucrative on the black market. This drug can also be easily tested for by blood or urine levels. Too many doctors prescribe this for pain relief, yet fail to follow up by testing for the levels in blood or urine. By not doing this, doctors have increased the market for use of this as a recreational drug. Many who once required this for pain relief, continue to get prescriptions when not needed, and sell this drug to supplement their incomes.

Unfortunately, those who actually require pain relief, now are burdened by the new and stricter regulations. I think we will see this applied to more drugs, as we approach changes to marijuana laws. It's like they see they are losing their grip on cannabis, so they have to have a new boogey man. It's a never ending cycle.

a reply to: retiredTxn

The sad reality of their tightened restrictions on Oxy-based drugs is that it has already been linked to a jump in accidental overdose of heroin. When people cannot have access to the drug they need, they turn to cheaper, more dangerous alternatives. Just look to the Krokodil problem in Russia for an example. People couldn't get access to real oxy-based drugs, and even heroin is prohibitively expensive there, so they turn to an even more dangerous and cheaper alternative.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

That is why bath salts exist. Because ecstasy is increasingly hard to obtain, drug makers are turning to synthetic compounds that give a similar feeling (but can be super dangerous). These drugs get stamped out by the FDA as quickly as they hit the market, but new ones pop up all the time. It's gotten so bad that you are VERY likely to be buying bath salts when you think you are buying ecstasy.

This is just one example of the changing drug culture towards the monolith that is the war on drugs. People will get high regardless if society wants them to or not.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Exactly Senpai. People will find ways to get their high, one way or another. To fight these drugs and their availability is to do battle with human nature itself.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Drugs, hip hop, & the military industrial complex make America World go round.

www.hiphopisread.com...